Two Houses under a Viaduct 1931

Editor: Here's Charles Burchfield's "Two Houses under a Viaduct" housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. The buildings look kind of run-down, but there’s still an austere beauty to it. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The viaduct acts as a symbolic threshold, doesn’t it? Burchfield often used architectural motifs to represent psychological states. The houses, burdened by the viaduct, become emblems of resilience. Editor: Resilience, how so? Curator: Notice the way the light filters through, almost defiantly. The broken fences, the aged wood… they are not signs of defeat, but endurance. The muted palette emphasizes the longevity of these structures, and perhaps the people connected to them. What does this endurance suggest to you? Editor: I guess there's a real strength in showing the beauty of everyday life. Thanks for pointing that out! Curator: Indeed. The mundane, elevated to the symbolic.